Outdoors notices: Jan. 27

• Audubon Society of Western Pennsylvania will have a naturalist-led morning hike from 9 to 10 a.m. Thursday at Succpo Nature Reserve in Butler County. The hike is free. Call 412-963-6100.

• Jennings Environmental Education Center in Butler County will have a program on winter hiking and backpacking basics at 2 p.m. Feb. 2. Participants will explore how to dress for success, receive gear tips and tricks for day hikes and overnights and get a glimpse of nature's wonders in winter. Some time will be spent outdoors, so participants should dress in warm layers and wear warm, waterproof footwear. Call 724-794-6011.

Events

• Cook Forest State park in Clarion County will have a two-hour otter watch program starting at 8:30 a.m. Saturday. Participants should bring binoculars and spotting scopes to the park office, from where they'll go on a driving tour to look for otters along the Clarion River. This is considered prime time for finding otter activity, as well as otter slides, tracks and carp kills along the river banks. Hot chocolate will be available at the park office afterward. Call 814-744-8407.

• Raccoon Creek State Park in Beaver County will have a free Introduction to Winter Camping class from 7 to 9 p.m. Feb. 6 at the wildflower reserve interpretive center along Route 30. It will cover clothing, camping equipment and safety, while preparing participants for an overnight campout in the park Feb. 22 and 23. Preregistration is required by calling 724-899-3611.

• Jennings Environmental Education Center in Butler County will have a free Nature Detectives program for children ages 5 and older accompanied by an adult Feb. 9, though registration is due by Friday. Participants will explore the forest for clues to how wildlife survives in winter. Tracks, chewed nuts, twigs and bark, scat, feathers, fur, and hiding places will all be examined. Participants should dress appropriately and prepare to be outside. Call 724-794-6011.

• Raccoon Creek State Park in Beaver County will have a maple sugaring workshop from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. March 8. Participants will learn how sap is collected, boiled, graded and processed into candy and syrup. The day will conclude with a pancake dinner. The location of the workshop will be emailed to participants a week in advance. Cost is $20 and preregistration is required by Feb. 24 by calling 724-899-3611.

Birding

• The Pennsylvania Game Commission will have a Bald Eagle Watch program from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday at the Kinzua Dam visitor center in Warren County. There will be presentations on how bald eagles have recovered in the state, along with opportunities to look for birds around the dam and its tailwater areas. Call 814-726-0661.

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